Worldwide: Dealing With People Who Are Different From You

Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue 2011

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Thunderbird School of Global Management launched an ongoing discussion about leadership in the 21st century with a signature business conference Nov. 10-11, 2011, at the Glendale Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Arizona.

The inaugural Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue drew more than 1,000 business, government and social sector leaders from more than 50 countries to explore the theme, “Redefining Global Leadership.”

The Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue is Thunderbird School of Global Management’s first attempt at holding a keynote international business conference in Arizona or globally, and was the largest event the school has held to date. Over the course of two days, more than 1,000 attendees including many Thunderbird alumni and 95+ world-class speakers and panelists from all over the world participated.

Learn more here.

Meanwhile, the next Global Business Dialogue will be held in Berlin, Germany in May 2012 and will focus on European Perspectives.  For more information, please visit:   http://www.thunderbird.edu/dialogue

How to Make Yourself and Your Business a Success Overseas

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Listen to the podcast: Mansour Javidan, dean of research at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and co-author of the HBR article "Managing Yourself: Making It Overseas." Copyright 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing.

We've written extensively about what Dr. Javidan refers to as developing a "global mindset" (a major prerequisite to moving ahead in our world) and characteristics needed to achieve success as a leader in the global marketplace. So we are glad to see he's "on it."

Find out if you have a global mindset here (immediate download):

Are You Ready? Take The Global IQ Test To Find Out

And remember, even McDonald's was a small shop at one time. Why just click on the 1940 button and you'll see what I mean!

Posted by: The Global Small Business Blog

Educating Global Business Leaders to Make a Positive Impact In Our World

What Can Nontraditional Direct Foreign Investment Do For a Country?

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Why are some governments more effective than others at attracting nontraditional foreign direct investment? Thunderbird’s Roy C. Nelson, Ph.D., a global studies professor with expertise in Latin America, argues that ...

... nontraditional foreign direct investment, which requires more advanced skills and training from a country’s workers, can help improve a country’s development prospects and diversify its economy. Examples of this include investment in software development centers, biotechnology or global services.

Learn more about what Dr. Nelson has to say on this subject here.

Follow Nelson on Twitter here.

Be conservative. Stay liquid. Don't retire.

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Read more of what Thunderbird (School of Global Management) Professor F. John Mathis, Ph.D., sees when he looks into the future.

Also take a good look here for more interesting research and opinion pieces, especially here.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know.

Is Your Company World Class?

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When I read this interview with Dr. Robert Hisrich, Garvin Professor of Global Entrepreneurship and Director, Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird, I had to ask myself that same question. I'd like to think so.

It sounds as if Dr. Hisrich has his work cut out for him -- you too -- but at least he's got his priorities in order ...

The real heart-beat of the economy is [global] entrepreneurship.

America Is Not All About Mega-Corporations

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Guess who else is important? Small businesses.

4. America is not all about mega-corporations. What do you see as the role of small business in the American economy and in the global economy?

Until 1980, I don't think people really understood the role of small business in an economy. A study was done at that time that showed that if you really wanted economic growth as measured by jobs, new products and services, small businesses are the key. Around 70% of the new jobs and new products come from small businesses. So in the future if one wants to grow the economy on a sustained basis, it is going to be through entrepreneurial ventures. Five years ago, Germany looked at their education system and its contribution to economic growth. Most of the schools in Germany were government sponsored except for one private school which had a course in entrepreneurship. Up until then, Germany had thought that it is the Mercedes, Siemens, and Deutsche Bank that were the drivers of its economy. But they had a rude awakening, it was the role of the small business, typically the DM25 million to DM50 million business that had contributed to growth – be it growth in jobs, new products or overall economic development. Therefore, they instituted professorships in over 25 universities to teach entrepreneurship. I am sure that this is true of anywhere in the world, be it Europe or Japan or Africa.

How about that? And now universities are teaching global entrepreneurship instead of entrepreneurship. Read the entire interview with Dr. Robert Hisrich from Thunderbird School of Global Management here.